Lethe
by MegamiTenchi
Summary: Post 5x10 spin-off short story. One of the many ways things could go when Blair wakes up in the hospital. Blair and Chuck, UES versus Monaco.
1. Shade

Lethe

Shade

Pain. So much pain... everywhere. Her arms. They felt so heavy. But she could move them, yes... oh, but her head. She felt like it had been split open. She thought... _open__your__eyes_. It took some time, and some effort, but she fought the heavy waves pressing down on her. The light was blinding, it burned, forcing her eyes shut. She tried to turn her head, but that hurt, too- it was stiff and uncomfortable. Slowly... she opened her eyes again, peaking through her lashes, letting the light leak in.

The light was yellow and sickly. And the room was... drab... utilitarian. She was in the hospital. The thought sat in her head. Given the pain, that should not have been a surprise. But why did she feel _so_ odd. Like something was missing. There was a hole; a fuzzy spot that she could not make clear, but she knew it was there. She lifted her arm- it was work, and pressed her hand to her head. What was going on?

"Blair!" A strange thick accent shot through the air.

She furrowed her brow, trying to comb through her mind for something. Anything. The man rushing into her room was fine enough looking, though his colored check shirt, with its open collar, grated on her nerves a little. But...

"Thank god!" he took her hand and kissed her full on the mouth. What the...

He smiled at her and stroked her hand. Which is when she saw the large yellow diamond on her ring finger. Yellow... and it was rather distasteful looking... and Chuck. Where was Chuck? What was this?

"I'm... I'm sorry, but who are you?" Speaking made her realize her mouth was dry, like it was full of cotton.

The man's face went from relief to concern, "You don't know who I am?"

He dropped her hand, "Do you know who you are?"

"Of course I do. I'm Blair Waldorf!" She was indignant in spite of everything, "But you- how dare you kiss someone else's girlfriend like that. Chuck will not stand for it. Where is he, why is he not here?"

"Chuck..." She watched him stand as he spoke, "I think I should find a nurse, they will want to know you are awake."

"If you're leaving, some water would be nice," she clipped.

Alone again, she stared at the ring on her left hand. Where had it come from? It was not from Chuck... Chuck would never gift her such a diamond, he knew her better than... this.

After some annoying questions from a nurse, she was suddenly not allowed visitors until she met with a doctor. She lay there, trying to fix her hair, disgusted with the sheets... the bed... the decor... the hospital gown, ew, and once done with that, she passed the time trying to work the yellow ring free from her finger. It took some perseverance, but eventually she managed it.

Perseverance... _the __importance __of __perseverance_...

Finally, a doctor arrived. After examining her a few moments, he asked her a few stupid questions. But when he asked her what day it was, she hardly needed someone to tell her he did not like her answer, and she realized how fuzzy it felt, "It's summer, 2009."

He asked her some more questions, about her friends and her family, what she did yesterday. He also would not tell her where Chuck was, and she had no response to the name Louis. A few minutes after he left, he returned with all of her parents.

She had never seen her mother so... emotional before, but she blamed that on Cyrus. "Will someone please... tell me what is going on? Why am I here? Where is Chuck?"

Her mother sat on the bed next to her, holding her hand and stroking her hair, "Honey, you have amnesia... It's November 6th... 2011."

Blair took a moment to let this settle. That... was a lot of missing information. But... "But what happened, and Chuck, please, someone tell me where Chuck is!"

Eleanor was still stroking her hair, "You and Chuck were in a car accident."

Blair tensed up.

No.

No.

No.

"Blair sweetie, he's... lost a lot of blood. The doctors don't know..."

"No!" She closed her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs. Turning on her side, she curled up, clinging to her pillow, as sobs tore at her throat while she screamed for him, "Chuck!"

Everyone quietly left her alone. She cried until she passed out. When she woke, her father was sitting in a chair next to the bed. He smiled at her, "Blair-Bear."

"Daddy..."

"Oh, my sweet Blair-Bear." He gave her a little smile.

"Tell me... who am I now?"

"Well... you go to Columbia?" He thought it an easy place to start.

"What a relief. NYU, ugh... I knew that could not go well."

Harold chuckled at this, "But... Blair... you..." he paused, trying to find a way to phrase it, "you're not with Chuck."

He picked up the yellow diamond from the nightstand, "You're... marrying someone else in nearly three weeks."

Blair just lay there for a few moments, "But... I love Chuck."

"It's been over two years... a lot happened between the two of you."

"But... it's Chuck..." she felt so lost to think she was not with him anymore. Why would she not be with him? Then she thought of the man from earlier, "When I woke up... that other man... who was that?"

"Louis, your fiancé." He placed the ring in Blair's palm.

"My... fiancé... Louis," Blair rolled the words around in her mouth as she spoke them, trying to feel them.

"You're such a lucky girl, he's a good man." Harold reached up to stroke back his daughter's hair.

"Who is he? How did I meet him?" Blair fidgeted with the ring.

"In front of you favorite Manet, at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. He's... he's the Crown Prince of Monaco. You're going to be a Princess."

"A... princess..." she repeated, murmuring.

"I've... probably said too much. You need to rest, you've been put though so much." Harold stood to leave.

"Chuck... tell me how Chuck is doing?" Blair looked up at her father her wide brown eyes pleading.

"The doctors are still not saying anything. With... everything... they just don't know."

Alone again, Blair once more curled up into a ball. Two years... Chuck... a prince. She felt so incredible lost as exhaustion slowly pulled her back into the blackness of sleep.

After explaining to Blair's parents that it would take some more tests to know the extent of her amnesia, the doctor asked if anyone knew why she might have regressed to that particular point in time. The quartet all looked at each other, concern mixed with sadness. They all knew why Blair would return to that moment of her life.

Cyrus shook his head and said to no one in particular, "I love you, too."

Eleanor put her arm around her husband and replied to the doctor's question, "It was because that was a time she was very happy."

"What will we do about the wedding?" Roman asked. No one in the room knew why Blair had been in a car with Chuck.

The doctor was not brazen enough to suggest canceling a royal wedding. So they would be careful with Blair and try to help her keep moving forward with a life she could not remember choosing.

In the lobby, their friends waited.

Her parents had an awkward time telling them of Blair's amnesia- what she could remember, and what had been forgotten. Everyone but Louis was quick to see why Blair had returned to that point in her past. Serena had a sad frowned, her blue eyes full of unshed tears, Dan stared at his shoes, and Nate looked stoic and put his arm around Serena.

Louis just wanted his fiancée back. The fact that she had forgotten him was enough, what point in time she was at had no bearing because it was a point in time without him in it. He needed to be near her- with her, here, in the present, so he went to sit by her bedside while she slept.

"She was going to leave him," Dan said, sitting with Serena and Nate in a corner, as he watched Louis walk off towards Blair's room.

"But Chuck..." Serena whispered.

"Is not dead." Nate replied with a solid certainty.

"But Blair..." Serena swallowed hard, "What can we do? I can't even..."

"The doctors said we have to be supportive- maybe it will come back to her?" Nate offered.

They took turns visiting her when she woke again. It was odd, filling in how they were different from two years ago. Louis was always lingering, playing the doting fiancé. After a time, they all left to let her rest. But she was feeling better, and her mind was restless. Though her body was battered, she knew she could walk. No one would tell her about Chuck- they did not even want to mention him. So she went to the nurse's station and became Queen B.

"Ms. Waldorf you should be resting!" the nurse berated her.

"Resting? I cannot rest with everyone withholding information from me! I am the future princess of Monaco, and I demand you tell me where Charles Bass is!" She stood tall, her voice strong, as she towered over the woman seated at the desk, wrapped in a pretty blue robe.

It worked. The woman directed her to the other side of the floor. Blair's heart pounded harder with each step she took towards his room. The nurse said he was stable, but had not woken up yet. She pushed the door open, scared of what she would find on the other side. So many machines... and his face... he was so pale. She clasped her hand over her mouth a moment, trying to gather herself before stepping into the room. She pulled a chair up next to his bed, and wrapping her hands around one of his, she laid her head down.

"Chuck..." Tears flowed freely down her face, dripping onto their entwined hands.

She whispered to him, "They told me... we're not together anymore. Why don't you love me anymore? Why am I a marrying another man? How can this be my world now? How can this be my world if you're not in it?"

Those words jostled something. In her mind, she saw his face... it was sad, she saw red, and heard... trains. She nuzzled her face closer to him, she knew it was something, but it was so foggy, was it a dream- a memory? She sobbed a little, "Chuck, please... you can't leave me, you can't!"

She squeezed his hand and... he squeezed back. She lifted her head, tears still streaming, shocked to see him staring back at her, "Chuck!"

His eyes were warm and there was a tiny smile on his lips. She had never felt such relief, it washed over her in giant waves, and she smiled through her tears. He reached up and touched her face, stroked her hair.

"Blair..." His voice was harsh, but, like his first thought, she was his first word since coming back to reality.

She could not contain her happiness and she leaned up, bending over him, and kissed him. It was long and gentle. She never wanted to stop...

"Blair! What are you doing?" Louis' thick accent shot through the air shattering her bliss. She had forgotten about him... about... all of that.

"I'm sorry..." Blair sputtered, "I... I forgot. Just... he's okay and... I forgot I'm marrying you."

Louis walked to her, pulling her into a hug, "It's okay- I... I understand. Give it time, you'll remember. We'll have fun and you'll see how in love we are."

Louis was giving Chuck a hard stare over Blair's shoulder as he spoke. Chuck's heart crumbled in his chest. What was Louis talking about? "Blair, no! Please, don't-"

"Chuck, don't upset her!" Louis cut him off, "She's in a fragile condition, she can't remember the past few years."

"She doesn't remember..." Chuck was in shock.

Louis wrapped his arm around Blair's waist and pulled her from the room. Unable to understand any of what was happening, she let him pull her, but looked back at Chuck, scared and confused.

"Blair, no..." Chuck cried out as she slipped through the door. He cursed his body, all the machines monitoring him, keeping him from going after her- letting Louis take her from him. She could not remember... the past few years? She could not remember the accident? What else... could she not remember? A few years? Yet, she had come to him, she was pleading him not to leave her- and... she had kissed him. Oh, that kiss.

Walking back to her room, Louis gently berated her, "What were you thinking, getting out of bed like that. You need to rest."

"I couldn't rest not knowing..." Blair whispered.

"Blair... that's not the Chuck you remember. There are reasons you're not with him, and... reasons you are with me. I love you, Blair. You have to trust me on this. We'll talk more when you're stronger." They had returned to her room and he helped her back into bed. Tucking her in, he kissed her forehead, "Please, rest. I am going to return to the Consulate to change, and greet my sister, Beatrice. She has come from Monaco because she is worried about you, too."

All these thoughts were starting to weigh on her. Chuck. Chuck was okay. And now... now she had to understand her life, all these missing pieces. It was as simple as closing her eyes, and she was asleep once more.


	2. The Waters

Lethe

The Waters

"So your little American got in an accident? And with her boyfriend. You must be so happy." Beatrice oozed.

"Stop it, Beatrice. She has amnesia, and lost the baby. If you're not going to help me, go home," Louis bit back.

"Amnesia..." Beatrice sat on the sofa, pursing her lips as she thought. Losing the baby was good for her, but the amnesia... that could be... "How severe is her condition?"

"She's lost over two years, she doesn't remember meeting me, her year at NYU..." His mind combed through the things she would have forgotten.

"This is a good thing, Louis."

"Good?" Louis looked at his sister like she was insane, "My fiancé cannot remember me, and this is a _good_ thing?"

"Yes, a _good_ thing. Chuck has been a... problem point for you and Blair. You can fix that now. We can show her how bad he was to her, for so long, that whatever she does remember of them will be overshadowed by the facts of their history. Use Gossip Girl." Beatrice said all of this as she analyzed the state of her manicure, like she was ordering her lunch.

Louis abruptly sat down in the chair across from her, exhausted, yet curiously intrigued by her idea. He could... effectively remove Blair's feelings for Chuck. There was nothing to say she would ever remember any, or all, of her past, or the feelings associated with it. As long as she stayed away from Chuck, and he perhaps limited her time with her friends... this could work. She would be grateful to him, and she would love him again. They would get married, and even if she ever remembered her feelings for Chuck, it simply would not matter anymore.

"I will need your help. We can't leave her alone before the wedding." Louis felt a headache coming on.

Beatrice grinned, showing her teeth, looking like the cat about the catch the mouse. "So you agree?" If this worked, Blair would be a great deal easier to handle as Louis' wife.

"Yes. Let me freshen up, and we will go to the hospital together."

* * *

><p>Blair was curled up in bed when they returned. Louis sat with her, her face was quite pale, "Are you feeling okay? Should I get a nurse."<p>

"No, just... cramps. It usually doesn't hurt this badly." Blair squeezed his hand as the muscles around her hips seemed to pinch bone.

"I'll get a nurse, they can at least give you something." Beatrice left the room, she knew Louis had not yet told her.

"Blair... my dear Blair," Louis stroked her hair, "I don't want to burden you with anything more, but the doctors will soon tell you, and I... I want this to come from me, not some doctor."

She licked her lips nervously, how much more could she take?

"In the accident... well, before..." Louis huffed at his stumbling words, "You were pregnant with our child... but not anymore."

Blair furrowed her brow. The pain made more sense now. But, she was pregnant? "I..."

She looked up into Louis' brown eyes for some sort of reassurance. He gave her a little smile, holding her hand tight. At this point, she realized the past was something she could do little about, nevertheless remember. But she still had a future. "Do they know if... I'm okay?"

"They'll run a few more tests later, but the doctors think so. You will still carry our children, all our little princes and princesses." Louis' smile became bigger and he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Beatrice returned with a nurse just then, who looked Blair over before giving her some painkillers. Beatrice sat at the foot of the bed and smiled, "How are you, Blair? With... everything?"

"The pain... is getting better. I keep feeling more and more lost." Blair did not like saying it to these strange people, but she had wanted to say it out loud for a while now.

"Don't worry, Blair. It will be okay. We love you- all of Monaco loves you. You are our 21st century Grace Kelly." Beatrice fondly patted the girl's hand.

"Between Beatrice and I, we don't want you to be lonely. If you need anything, anything at all, let us know? Food, clothes, questions, anything you want. You should only be in the hospital a few more days." Louis continued.

"I know!" Beatrice perked up, "It's almost dinner. How about I go to get us food from The Modern, and I leave you two catch up more."

Brother and sister exchanged an odd glance as Beatrice left and Blair looked at Louis as he held her hand, too tired to question their actions. She felt so empty inside. She felt so alone... but... looking at him. She was not alone- he was in love with her- with whoever she had become. And she loved him enough to marry him, and carry their child. He wanted to rule Monaco with _her_ by his side. Those things meant something, right? "Louis... would you hold me?"

Curling up in his arms, he felt warm... and comforting. But he smelled differently than Chuck, and he felt different. So she nestled in Louis' arms a little deeper and tried to tell herself that was a long time ago. This was her place now. Yet she wondered... what had happened? "Would you... I know how this sounds but... what happened between Chuck and I?"

"Blair, I think it is too soon for you to try and take in so much. And it will only cause you pain." Louis held her a little tighter in his arms.

"It was that bad then? Was it... was it me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No... oh, Blair, no. Chuck... made some horrible decisions. He broke your heart. But... I'm selfish- I'm glad he did, because you would have never spent the summer in Paris if he hadn't, and then we would have never met." Louis kissed the top of her head.

Louis held her and talked on about their short time in Paris together. He had just finished telling her about leaving him with her Vivier when Beatrice returned with dinner. The three sat together on Blair's bed, eating, and talking about their travels this past summer. It was pleasant, and though Blair could not remember what they talked over, she sounded like she was happy, and... she was happy now, sitting with them.

On the other side of the hospital, Nate sat with Chuck. It was a grim sight. Chuck's pain seemed to be compounded several times over by news of Blair's amnesia.

"Tell me she's okay, Nathaniel, even though she's forgotten?" Chuck pleaded.

"She's lost the baby... but, physically, she's going to be okay. She should still be able to have children, from what I've heard." Nate tried to smooth the news over as much as he could.

"No... not the baby..." Chuck turned his head away from his friend. Whether or not it was Louis' baby, it was going to be their child. He was going to have a family with Blair. But now it was all gone... all of it. "I tried- I tried to protect them when we crashed. But even still... only for a few minutes, I had everything I ever wanted, Nathaniel. Now... it's all been wiped away. What am I going to do?"

"You're going to be in recovery for at least a few weeks, Chuck. By the time you can do anything, Blair will be as good as married." Nate painted the picture rather clearly, "I don't know how we could give her all her memories back before then. Not _all_ of them, the good ones she would need..."

Chuck rubbed his forehead. It was hopeless, he had the only thing he had ever had, "As long as she's happy, Nate. As long as Blair is happy."

It tore at him inside. _You're all I ever wanted_. It felt like half a miracle that they had finally found a way back to each other again. And now the fates had intervened once more. How would they ever come back from this? His heart was heavy, faintly beating deep inside his chest. _If two people are meant to be together, eventually they will find their way back_.

He believed this. He had to believe this. When he began to take care of himself is when she came back to him before... so now. Now he had to take care of himself, to heal, to be strong for her. Her memories would come back. This was Blair... this was Chuck and Blair- their love, their story. She could never truly lose that.

Nate just frowned as he watched his friend. He remembered when Chuck first admitted he had been in love with Blair. He had seen how happy they had made each other, how they completed one another. And now... how much longer until two people so clearly meant for one another, could finally be together?

"Nate... would you bring me a picture of Blair to have here, while I recover?" Chuck had turned back to face his friend.

"Of course, man. Anything for my best friend." Nate gave Chuck a little smile.

The next morning Serena was getting ready to go to class when she heard someone in Blair's room.

"Beatrice. What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Serena! I just came to get some thing for Blair. The comforts of home, a few nice sets of pajamas."

"But, Dorota could have done that?" The blonde was a little curious.

"She's on a walk with Ana, and will pick up some of Blair's favorite macrons from Ladurèe afterwards. Good teamwork, no?" Beatrice smiled.

Serena glanced a the clock, she did not want to be late, "Well... send B my love? Tell her I'll be by after classes."

"Sure thing, Serena!" Beatrice waved the willowy girl off to her class.

Nate went through Chuck's room, searching out his small collection of photos of Blair. There were some really great ones, but he found one... one where Blair was glowing. _When she shines. That's the Blair I love._ Nate tucked the photo into his work bag to give to Chuck at the end of the day.

It was late afternoon when Serena arrived at the hospital. But Blair was not in her room, and the nurse at the station directed her to a different floor. When she found Blair, she frowned.

Her best friend sat in the middle of the room, Louis at her side... reading a book to sick children. A few polite photographers were there, witnessing the princess-to-be, in her simple dress and uncomplicated hair, the only sign she was a patient being the band around her wrist.

But what was Blair doing? The accident, her memory, losing the baby- what was she thinking reading to a room full of children like this? She was trying to think of a way to stop it when Beatrice approached her, "How were classes?"

"Fine... what is Blair doing here?" The blonde quietly asked.

"Being the perfect future Princess of Monaco of course!" Beatrice bubbled.

"She shouldn't be here though- this can't be good for her, she should be resting. She should not be in the public eye right now."

The shrewd little brunette took Serena's arm at this, and calmly dragged her out of the children's play room, "She pulled quite a little stunt that night. We don't want to know _why_ she was in a town car with her ex-lover, why she was at The Empire with him before that, but she could not have gotten there alone- without the help of friends. She's engaged to my brother, she lost his child- the future ruler of Monaco, and the press is still having a field day with it. That _all_ of this is lost on _her_ is just icing on the cake. So she's going to help clean up this mess she made, and either you are going to help, or I'll have to make sure you get out of the way."

Serena wrenched her arm free, her blue eyes icy as she glared at the princess. Was this conversation really happening? She took a moment to look over at her friend, happily reading, her fiancé at her side, oblivious to the reality of the situation around her. But Blair was... happy. And in order to ensure she stayed happy, Serena was not about to declare herself an enemy. "You have a point... their image needs all the help it can get right now. I need to go and visit... my brother, I'll visit Blair after she's done here."

Beatrice gave a falsely friendly smile as Serena turned and walked back to the bank of elevators, happy to have even more control over the situation. This would be even easier than she had imagined- in no time Blair would be married to her brother, they would all be back in Monaco- on her playing field.

When Serena walked towards Chuck's room, she saw Nate in the hallway on the phone. She waited for him to finish and hang up his phone, "Have you talked to Blair today?"

"She wasn't in her room, so I came here first. Why?" Nate suddenly became concerned.

"She's downstairs... in the children's ward. Reading to them. Louis and Beatrice are with her. There are cameras, too." Serena frowned.

"What? What are they thinking letting her do that?" Now Nate was becoming upset, "She should be in bed, not in public."

"Beatrice told me it was to help clean up the mess she made- being in an accident, with Chuck, and losing the baby. I don't like this, Nate. This is all wrong." Tears began to gather in Serena's eyes, the tears Blair would be crying if she only knew what was going on.

"Come here." Nate pulled his friend into a hug, "We'll think of something to fix this. They are our friends, and no one, royalty or not, messes with the non-judging breakfast club."

"How is he?" Serena sniffled.

"Surprisingly strong, if not emotionally crushed. He had me bring a picture of her. It's so hard to see the pain written on his face. But, it will be good for him to see his sister." Nate released her, only to put his arm around waist so they could walk into the room together.

When they walked through the door, Chuck was awake, holding the photograph of Blair and smiling. Behind the smiles plastered on their faces, the blonds' hearts were bleeding. Nate remembered him saying just last week _I finally become the man she wanted and she's already chosen another one._

Looking up at his guests, Chuck continued to smile, "How are you, sis?"

"Trying to stay out of trouble, like always. But I'm here to see how you're doing," Serena pulled away from Nate and sat on the end of Chuck's bed, "What's the news today?"

"BI is holding up well in the wake of the accident, The Charles is coming along beautifully, and I'm trapped in this bed for who knows how many more days?" Chuck was his usually smooth and succinct self, though he looked down at Blair's photo during the last line, his finger tracing the outline of her smiling face, "Tell me..."

Serena glanced up at Nate a moment, sad at the state of affairs, but knowing they all had to be strong together, "We haven't seen her yet today. The royal family is keeping her pretty close after everything, but I think she is doing quite well."

"We're not giving up, Chuck," Nate joined in, "If there is any hope of Blair remembering the life she chose that night, we're going to be there to help her remember it."

Chuck looked from Serena, to Nate, and then his hands tightened around the frame containing Blair's photo as he looked down at her again. _I'm sorry I gave up on us, when you never did._ Never again. It sounded small, and quiet, but Chuck said, "Thank you."

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks to cococutie33 for making the chapter pretty!<br>Today is my one year anniversary of writing my first bit of fanfiction ^_^ Is it still any good? Hope everyone is having a happy new year! xoxo


	3. Oblivion

Lethe

Oblivion

The next several days passed quietly. Blair heard stories of her past while Chuck struggled to recover, working to grow stronger under the loving gaze of Blair's photo next to his bed. They were mending.

Soon Blair was able to return home. Curled up in bed with Louis, only a couple weeks from the wedding now, she asked him again about her past with Chuck.

Louis sighed a little, "You won't stop until you know, will you?"

Blair shook her head no and hugged him a little harder.

He slipped from the bed and retrieved her laptop, "I think Gossip Girl can tell this story better than I can."

They went through post after post about Chuck and Blair starting from their very beginning. Louis filled in pieces from the posts with details that Blair had once told him. With Gossip Girl's help, it was not difficult to paint a dark picture of her time with Chuck. She made it through more posts than he expected, but she made it nowhere near ones covering his recent growth.

Blair shut the laptop. Her father was right. She was _so_ lucky to have Louis. What had her life become while she was with Chuck? The story with her and Jack and the Empire... Chuck and Jenny. It made her stomach lurch. What was she thinking? How could she ever let someone treat her like that- to use her, manipulate her! She wondered how she had even come to be in a car with Chuck, and was suddenly unsurprised that it had ended so badly.

She curled back up in Louis' arms, longing to feel safe, just as Serena popped her head in.

"The invalid is home!" The blonde bubbled.

"I'm hardly an invalid. I'm a princess-to-be. And my memory even in this condition is better than yours. You haven't forgotten about the fitting for your maid of honor dress on Monday, hmm?" Blair poked at her best friend.

"I didn't _forget_... I just haven't been thinking about Monday yet. It's been kind of a full week you know!" Serena confessed sheepishly.

"It's only going to get busier! Things are going well for my bachelorette party next Friday, aren't they?"

"It will be fine, don't worry! Just... focus on your fiancé!" Serena laughed, "I have to get to the hosp-"

Serena stopped from finishing the sentence. She just left it hanging in the air, everyone knew she was talking about Chuck. And they did not talk about Chuck. "I'll see you guys later!"

A week after the accident, Chuck was recovering. He was walking, but his leg had been crushed rather badly, though nothing had broken or fractured. His internal injuries would take several more weeks before he could bend and move with any level of comfort. One more week in the hospital, but at least a month of physical therapy.

Serena, Nate, and Dan took turns visiting. Nate was taking care of Monkey so his days were spent in recovery, and running Bass Industries from his bed. But at night, Chuck was still lonely, Blair's photo the only thing keeping him company.

He had no idea how he would get her back, so rather than torment himself with an uncertain future, he fell asleep at night thinking on their past. Mornings in bed with her, the games they played, the night Blair gave herself to him in the back of his limo, when he admitted he had feelings for her at her birthday, at his father's wedding. The day he told her, after everything, that he loved her. How he would _always_ love her. _I can't imagine the day I won't_.

"I don't want to imagine a day that I don't love you, Blair." He murmured to the photo before he closed his eyes to sleep.

Blair was happily wrapped up in her wedding. She was too busy for distractions, sometimes a hazy little memory would bubble up, but they made no sense to her, they had no context, so she ignored them and kept moving forward. The piano in the living room never felt in focus to her. And she could no longer enjoy macrons from Ladurèe, they always gave her problems. The whole time, her wedding kept creeping closer and closer.

* * *

><p>Serena, living with Blair, was their only access to her. Louis and Beatrice were <em>always<em> around, so Serena was left to try little things to shake lose Blair's buried memories. Eclairs, Chuck's favorite, for breakfast; Blair just looked at them oddly for a few moments, something clearly crossing her mind**, ** before going on about how she's getting married, and oh, how could you, S?

Sneaking into Blair's closet, Serena pulled the dress from that night at Victrola out of storage and hung it in plain sight. She also borrowed one of Chuck's suit jackets, scented with his cologne. Wearing it, looking very retro 90s chic, she hugged her best friend tight. She felt Blair hug her back tightly, murmuring, "I like your coat- it smells really good."

"Yeah? I borrowed it from a friend, he has the best taste."

Beatrice was there, staring daggers at Serena.

Blair sounded a little lost, "It feels so... comforting... like I belong here?"

Serena let go of her friend, beaming, "Of course you belong here! I'm your best friend- I'm always available to give the best hugs."

She dashed off to class before Beatrice could corner her- her glare screaming bloody murder.

A few days before the wedding, Serena tried another antic. Scent worked well before, so she bought Chuck's favorite candle- Persian Lime from Bendel's, and took a nice long bath with it burning. Blair, grumpy that Serena had rolled into _her_ allotted bath time, pounded on the door. Hastily she dried and dressed and whipped the door open. The look on Blair's face almost broke her heart.

Blair rubbed her head, like it ached, "What... is that?"

"I got a new candle at Bendel's, don't you like it?" Serena replied.

"I..." Blair's words stumbled, "I don't know?"

She pushed the bathroom door shut, "Yes, yes you do, Blair. Try."

Blair furrowed her brow, the scent was acute and she remembered warmth, large hands- not Louis' at all, holding her close, caressing her skin. His mouth, sensual but passionate and hungry, too. It pulled in her stomach and stung in her brain and she quietly cried out, "I don't, I don't know what it is!"

Serena hugged her friend, "I just," she sighed, "I just didn't want you to lose it."

Feeling as though she had failed, Serena pulled away and went to her room.

Blair drew her bath, relighting the candle, and curled up in the hot water and deep bubbles. Closing her eyes, she dreamed of those hands roving over her body and the sensation of his kisses. It was a dream- right?

* * *

><p>Chuck had finally returned to The Empire. He sat on his sofa, glass of scotch in hand. He closed his eyes, and those moments before the crash... he had been so happy. The only times he had ever been happy were with Blair- because of Blair.<p>

So he drank more. It numbed him, let him get through the days. Her wedding was on the horizon and he will have lost. If her memories had come back at all, she would have come to him... or Nate... or Serena. But nothing. That is what he was to her now. Nothing.

* * *

><p>Blair was walking arm in arm with Serena into the first club for her bachelorette party. They were teenagers again, dancing and drinking like the world was all theirs. It was not long before they were drunk.<p>

"I love you, B!" Serena shouted, "You're always there for me, no matter what!"

Serena hugged her friend, who giggled.

"Like, like when you... and Nate... and, and Chuck saved me from Georgie."

"Chuck..." Blair suddenly calmed down.

Serena sucked down another martini, "He tried to save you and the baby, you know."

Serena had completely lost her filter. Blair gaped at her best friend, unable to focus.

"In the car accident. You two... you realized Chuck was really what you had always wanted- all of him," The blonde tottered as she gushed _all of him_, then grew solemn, "When the car was crashing, he tried to protect you. It's why he got so badly injured, and you... less so. Didn't the doctors tell you?" Serena was too far-gone to understand the repercussions of what she was saying.

Blair suddenly could not breathe, the room was so crowded and hot. She pushed her way towards the wall and when she came to the windows in the front of the club, she stopped. Chuck. Chuck was watching her.

It was that same wounded expression he had when he was watching her in the Oak Room after graduation. But not just the Oak Room. His face, outside the Saints and Sinners party: _You really believe that? I do_. His face when they stood atop The Charles: _How will I ever prepare for what you are planning?_ At Constance: _I will always love you_. When she tormented him at Sleep No More: _Even the New Chuck Bass must still have some of his darkest desires. Just a taste?_

Blair grabbed her head; what were all these images. They could not be dreams, they were too sharp, too real. Real. These were real! She gasped and looked back up. But he was gone.

Chuck fled. It had been so long since he had seen her, when Nate let slip where Serena was taking Blair... he could not help himself. But the look on her face, and when she grabbed her head like that. He was hurting her. He could not stand to hurt her! So he returned to The Empire, returned to his tumbler of scotch until he was consumed in the darkness when he passed out.

Serena shook him awake the next morning. "What did you do, Chuck?"

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks again to my dear cococutie33 for polishing this up for me. For me, this story was never meant to be overly complex or detailed, just an exercise it getting my feelings out! Somehow it feels like cheating because I'm not being my usual crazy self with this short story, but the cliffhanger hurt and I had to do something about it ^_^ Coming up next? A big dose of happiness :D<p> 


	4. Finally Found

Lethe

Finally Found

Serena shook him awake the next morning. "What did you do, Chuck?"

"Serena... I don't know, what did I do this time?" He slurred.

"Blair saw you, and now she's confused. She doesn't know if the things in her head were real- but only you can tell her. She's suppose to get married in a few hours! Chuck, please, you have to help her."

Serena dragged him to the bathroom, shoving him towards his shower, "I have to go, but you have to talk to her- if I distract Beatrice, you can talk to her before she leaves for the church. Come on, I'll get Blair outside, but you have to be there!"

He looked in the mirror and tried to pull himself together. It was last minute, but, she was remembering. It could be enough. It might just be enough.

* * *

><p>Blair was flocked by her minionsbridesmaids as she stepped out of her penthouse as Blair Waldorf for the last time. She snapped at one of the girls, "What happened to my flowers?"

The girls buzzed, and Serena made Beatrice go back inside to find them. Serena saw Chuck waiting across the street, and nodded to him. She then suggested to Blair to have a few photos taken while they waited, letting her push the bridesmaids back.

That's when they all heard the commotion, brakes squealing, horns blasting.

Blair saw Chuck in the street, a car coming to a stop inches from him.

Her mind screamed and she crumbled on the ground. She heard the sound of metal crunching, the horn screaming in her ears, and Chuck's body covering hers before there was blackness. _A prince, a fairy tale wedding, it's all you ever wanted. No, you are all I ever wanted. I love you, I love every part of you._

She snapped back to reality, a loud noise shrieking in her ears. It was her own voice, "Chuck!"

Within moments his arms were around her and she was clinging to him. "Blair, I'm right here. Please... tell me you remember, tell me..."

"I love you, Chuck. Please, don't leave me. Don't let me go, again." She was sobbing into his shirt, and she forgot there was anyone around.

"Blair..." Serena reached out and touched her friend, "You need to go. Now. Before Beatrice can stop you."

Suddenly Blair turned and wrapped Serena in a giant hug, "Thank you, S."

Chuck opened the car door, and Blair slipped inside. He smiled at his sister before climbing in.

"Never again, Chuck, never again! Promise me?" Blair was in his arms the moment the door closed.

He held her face in his hands, smiling as he looked into her eyes, "Never again."

And finally, he kissed her. It was tender and gentle, and they were both drowning in happiness. It steadily climbed in intensity, their hearts pounding harder, the temperature of their skin rising. At The Empire at last, they took the service entrance to avoid being seen. Blair's wedding dress was sure to grab attention, and then they would realize who was wearing it, and who she was with.

In the elevator, he was nervous all over again. Holding her hands he asked her once more, "Are you sure about all of this?"

Blair laughed a little, "I was sure about this weeks ago. And... that's when there was a baby, and before I almost lost you."

They arrived at his suite, "Well then..." he lead her out of the elevator.

"I don't think you need this anymore," He pulled the yellow diamond from her finger, "Or this..." he lifted the veil and tiara from her hair.

Blair gave him the sweetest smile as she watched him.

"And this, this is totally unnecessary." Chuck unzipped her wedding gown, taking her hand to help her step out of it.

"Now this... this is getting better." He looked her over appreciatively. Sheer stockings, lace thong, and a lace and satin corset. He saw the pretty little garter around her thigh and grinned, "You know, I think I'm going to need to practice this..."

Blair blushed when his fingers curled around her garter and slid it down her leg, the heat of his fingers making her tremble. Chuck then stood, kissing her as he removed the other pieces of lingerie, all tenderness before he scooped her into his arms and carried her to his bed.

While shrugging his jacket off, Blair sat up, kneeling on the bed to open the buttons of his shirt for him as he continued to undress, smiling as he looked down at her. His shirt gone, Blair wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face against his chest, feeling such love, yet such sadness at what had nearly happened to them that the threat of tears choked in her throat, "I missed you... I'm... so... so sorry, Chuck."

They laid back in his bed and he held her, "No," his voice was strong as it rumbled in his chest, "No more apologies, no more of the past. We're together now, nothing else matters. I love you and you are all I want."

Blair tilted her head up to gaze at him while he spoke. He was fiercely adamant, certainty in his eyes, and his hand came up to caress her check, his mouth meeting hers. Her heart beat happily in her chest; this is where she belonged. Their naked skin touching was enough to enflame their passion, hands roaming over much loved, much missed, peaks and planes.

Chuck's hand slid between her legs, and Blair gasped a little, wanting- needing, more, "Make me yours again, Chuck, please."

Pushing him back, she began to climb astride him. He smiled a moment, happy to have _his_ Blair back. But he paused a moment, "Blair... what about protection?"

She straddled him, eager, but her face was perfectly determined, "I don't need protection from you, Chuck. I want you... I want all of you."

With that, her body lowered, and he was buried deep inside his love. It was nothing short of beautiful. The curve and arch of her body as they moved together as one. In spite of their need, they managed to draw it out with gentle touches and sweet glances.

In their cocoon of blissful reunion, neither heard the elevator, or noticed someone standing in the doorway of Chuck's room, watching them.

Chuck had elicited two delicious orgasms from Blair before his own overtook him. He drank in the sight of her naked body for as long as he could keep his eyes open, believing he had somehow reached heaven. He felt her chest press down against his, her curtain of dark hair hiding them as she kissed him, his euphoria slowly waning.

Blair shifted her hips, making Chuck groan in protest and Blair giggled.

"Blair."

The couple froze, Chuck's fingers digging into her hips, holding tight to her.

She dropped a tender kiss on his mouth, before sitting upright, shaking her curls over her back. Chuck watched her eyes, watching her love shift back to allow the Queen to rise. Elegantly, she pulled away from him, her feet dropping to the floor as she stood and turned towards the intruder.

"Louis." It was cold, and flat.

"What are you doing?" The prince was indignant as he stared at his naked fiancé.

Blair was before him in an instant, an aura of outrage building around her. "How dare you." She slapped him, hard. Chuck simply watched the scene, wincing, knowing how Blair's rage feels, letting her take her due from Louis.

"I'm doing what you tried to twist, manipulate, and lie in order to stop- to change. But you can't change my heart, or that fact that it belongs to Chuck and not you. I can't even imagine _what_ you were thinking sneaking up here. I never want to see your sick face again. Get out. Now."

Her stare was hard, fixed on the evil prince, who gazed at her a moment, before glancing at the dark man lying in the bed, his hooded eyes and small smirk. Their power was palpable, choking the air- Louis realized he never knew what Blair was capable of, nevertheless what she and Chuck could do _together_. He backed away slowly, swallowing hard.

When they heard the elevator ring in departure, Blair exhaled, "It's over."

"Almost..." Chuck reached for the phone next to his bed as Blair turned to look at him.

"Hello, you'll find the Prince of Monaco in the lobby shortly, could you please have him arrested for breaking into a private residence? And let Mr. Archibald know he'll want to stay elsewhere tonight. No one is to enter this penthouse while I am here."

Blair grinned as Chuck hung up the phone, crawling back into bed, "You know he has diplomatic immunity, it won't do anything."

"Except cause a scene, which makes me happy." He wrapped his arms around her, "Now... should we get you a new ring? And how long should we go away together for?"

The smile on Blair's face was priceless just before she kissed him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay ^_^ One more story finally finished. Kind of a crazy ending, with the Louis bit, but I couldn't help myself. Too fun. And I left it wide open for you to fill in- keep the ring or no? Will they conceive right away? But a cleaner, happier ending to this story arc, compared to the show :P xoxo -K<strong>


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